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Are medical students super-intelligent or studious?

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Reply 40
The medical students I know are intelligent, but not that far above average (no highly gifted/intelligent persons among). They are all very, very studious. You need a basic intelligence but it's more about studying. One of the best students in my sixth form just studied from morning 'til evening, at some times she clearly demonstrated that she is not that intelligent :wink:
Original post by Davidragon
Saying someone is "intelligent" is over simplistic.

Besides, science implies working hard makes you more intelligent anyway, the two aren't completely separate things.


Well to be fair, there is a positive correlation between inteligence and ease of understanding concepts. However before you ppl come nd dig me with negs, I'm not saying that means there is a causation as well. But the general trend from my exp is like that. :smile:
Reply 42
The medics I know spend a lot of time studying and say that it isn't conceptually difficult, but there is an awful lot of material to learn.


You should also be aware that entry requirements are normally reflective of competition and not the rigour of the course. If the latter was the case I expect Medicine would still be high grade requirements but Physics, Chemistry, Maths & Biology would be higher than they are at most places now. Engineering too.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 43
If you're asking if you'll be able to cruise through without doing much work like bright kids do at a levels... The answer is no imo.
A decent mix of both.
Original post by Lansaaaa
Obviously anyone who gets into medicine is intelligent, but are most med students just naturally intelligent or intelligent and studious? I'm hoping to apply to medical school this year and whilst I get straight As I'm not exactly studious. If I get in will I need to spend my life studying?

Thanks


Just like to point out, that there are many very intelligent, studious people who don't study medicine, because there not interested in it or in science subjects.
Reply 46
What a retarded question. I don't accept that anyone would ask this without knowing the answer is half way between the two, more to one side or the other depending on the person. And I doubt they are "super-intelligent" because there aren't enough "super-intelligent" people in the UK to fill all the medicine spots, and that's assuming all of them choose to study medicine.
Original post by handsome7654
Well to be fair, there is a positive correlation between inteligence and ease of understanding concepts. However before you ppl come nd dig me with negs, I'm not saying that means there is a causation as well. But the general trend from my exp is like that. :smile:


The reason I say "intelligence" is over simplistic is because there are too many different types. One mathematician I know is pretty much at the top of the school in terms of problem solving ability, but his memory skills (whilst good) aren't miles better than anyone else.

I have few problems with with Biology, Chem or Physics but struggle with Maths because I don't have the same level of speed or precision in terms of problem solving. I can retain and understand the concepts fine.

I know some people who just don't perform well in exams, but when you speak to them and talk to them about their subject you realise how developed and intelligent they are, exams just don't capture that for them.

When we talk about intelligence we need to remember we are only talking about a small portion of it in most people.
Original post by Zara<3
yes..super intelligent, there is a difference, some people work their asses off and still don't get as far as people like medical students..they def have an innate ability to learn things quicker and more efficiently than your average joe..to do medicine you need to the UKCAT as well..and to be amazing at that, it really is about your IQ and whether you have it or not, and it isn't even anything to do with science, that really does test your pure intelligence. even practicing that doesn't really improve your scores but some people just naturally are amazing at it, which makes them progress to getting into medical school..therefore..PURE INTELLIGENCE


UKCAT is about practice. The more you practice and familiarise urself then the better ul be at it. It's like taking up an instrument or a new sport like basketball. Every one has the potential to dunk and do skills or play excellent piece of music but it is about practice. However more inteligent ppl, need less time to practice cuz they pick up quickly, whilst a very average intelligent person, who spends a year or more trying to prepare for it, then they will come out with a fantastic scores. It is a fact. People mistake it for an IQ test when it really isn't cuz it somehwat looks similar to IQ tests ppl have done. The UKCAT tests your ability to think quickly and in a different way to A-level exams. So the more time you spend on it, the better you will be.

Sorry about the essay, just wanted to really explain my point! :biggrin:
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 49
Original post by James A
You, darling, are most definitely deluded.


"darling" it's just my personal opinion
Reply 50
Original post by Lansaaaa
Obviously anyone who gets into medicine is intelligent, but are most med students just naturally intelligent or intelligent and studious? I'm hoping to apply to medical school this year and whilst I get straight As I'm not exactly studious. If I get in will I need to spend my life studying?

Thanks


some are super intelligent, some are very hard working, some are a bit of both
Original post by Zara<3
yes..super intelligent, there is a difference, some people work their asses off and still don't get as far as people like medical students..they def have an innate ability to learn things quicker and more efficiently than your average joe..to do medicine you need to the UKCAT as well..and to be amazing at that, it really is about your IQ and whether you have it or not, and it isn't even anything to do with science, that really does test your pure intelligence. even practicing that doesn't really improve your scores but some people just naturally are amazing at it, which makes them progress to getting into medical school..therefore..PURE INTELLIGENCE

Oh please. There seem to be some misinformed people in society that think medicine is the most difficult and rigorous course out there just because it's arguably the most competitive to get into. I'm sure a natural sciences or mathematics degree at Cambridge is much harder than medicine.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Joinedup
If you're asking if you'll be able to cruise through without doing much work like bright kids do at a levels... The answer is no imo.

There isn't a bright kid I know who breezes through A levels. Even if they don't struggle (and if you time revision right, it isn't actually that bad), they still put time in doing past papers etc. All the maths pros that try to coast through further maths like at gcse end up with grades far worse than what they should be getting given their ability.
Reply 53
you need to define intelligence, for me intelligence is more than being 'conventually clever' i.e getting 4 A*'s at A2, there is social intelligence and common sense that alot of people don't have...

Having worked with a lot of medical students (some usless adn some great), I'd say the majority are more studious...

Graduate medics are what i call more intelligent i.e life skills
Original post by vedderfan94
Oh please. There seem to be some misinformed people in society that think medicine is the most difficult and rigorous course out there just because it's arguably the most competitive to get into. I'm sure a natural sciences or mathematics degree at Cambridge is harder than medicine.


Obv lol.
Maths/natural sciences/chemistry at any uni is harder than medicine not just Cambridge. Cuz medicine has a lot to learn, it doesn't have extremely complicated concepts such as in theoretical physics/chemistry/maths etc...
Original post by handsome7654
Obv lol.
Maths/natural sciences/chemistry at any uni is harder than medicine not just Cambridge. Cuz medicine has a lot to learn, it doesn't have extremely complicated concepts such as in theoretical physics/chemistry/maths etc...

Precisely.

But, like I said, some people think it is insanely difficult just because it's very hard to get an offer for medicine.
Reply 56
Both; but predominantly studious.
Reply 57
i'm not saying all you need is pure intelligence to get into and get through medicine, you do also need to work hard, but some people are naturally more cleverer than others, there's no denying that, two people can work equally as hard but one will be able to learn things better and memorize things for longer than the other, that's not just techniques, its genetics too..gosh, people, take a chill pill....! my opinion and i'm entitled to it
Original post by vedderfan94
Oh please. There seem to be some misinformed people in society that think medicine is the most difficult and rigorous course out there just because it's arguably the most competitive to get into. I'm sure a natural sciences or mathematics degree at Cambridge is much harder than medicine.


Medicine at Cambridge is supposed to be one of the hardest courses in the world, but that's all hearsay and opinion.

You can't really hope to compare degrees like maths and medicine with each other in terms of difficulty. The skills needed are different.

I can't see the logic in saying conceptual complexity is the only valid form of difficulty.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 59
Of the most intelligent people I know, I can tell you that one is a Cambridge mathematician, the other studied Physics and Philosophy at Oxford, and the last person didn't even have a degree.

The medical students I have met thus far seem to be a bit more interesting than the average Joe and are pretty cool, but not much more intelligent than average. I've met one very bright medical student who was at Oxford, but he was considering studying Physics at Imperial.

I would say that to get into medicine the only requirement is that you are moderately intelligent-well, intelligent enough to take your studies seriously. :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)

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